Rep. Brennan Co-Sponsors Bill to Restore Educator Representation on State Teachers Retirement Board

COLUMBUS, Ohio — State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan (D-Parma) recently announced he is a co-sponsor of House Bill (HB) 719, legislation that restores educator voices to the governance of Ohio’s State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) and reverses changes made in the most recent state operating budget without the traditional standalone legislative process. 

HB 719 amends multiple sections of the Ohio Revised Code to return the composition of the State Teachers Retirement Board to a structure that ensures meaningful representation of active and retired educators. The bill also repeals provisions enacted in the budget bill that reduced elected educator seats and increased appointed investment positions on the board. 

“Ohio’s teachers pay into their own pension system. They deserve a strong voice in how it is governed,” said Rep. Brennan. “Changes of this magnitude - particularly those that alter board composition and diminish elected educator representation - should not be slipped into a budget bill without the full, transparent legislative process they warrant.”

In the state budget enacted by the 136th General Assembly, HB 96, provisions were included that restructured the State Teachers Retirement Board. Those changes reduced the number of contributing and retired teacher members elected by their peers and expanded appointed investment-focused seats. HB 719 reverses those changes and preserves the elected representation of active and retired educators. 

Specifically, HB 719: 

• Restores elected contributing and retired teacher member seats to the STRS Board;
• Repeals the automatic abolition of certain educator-elected seats scheduled under the budget bill;
• Discontinues the expansion of appointed investment positions created in the budget; and
• Maintains appropriate professional qualifications for appointed members while rebalancing board composition to reflect stakeholder representation.

Rep. Brennan emphasized that this legislation is about process as much as policy. 

“Public pensions are a solemn promise. Decisions affecting governance and oversight of educator retirement funds should be debated openly, in a standalone bill, with full opportunity for input from educators, retirees, and the public,” continued Rep. Brennan. “HB 719 ensures that those who contribute to and rely on STRS continue to have a direct voice in its leadership.” 

The State Teachers Retirement System is funded by contributions from educators and their employers as part of their compensation package and is governed by a board that historically has included elected contributing and retired teacher members. HB 719 seeks to reaffirm that structure and restore confidence in the governance of the system. 

“I stand with Ohio’s educators and retirees,” concluded Rep. Brennan, a former 30-year public school teacher. “They deserve transparency, accountability, and representation in decisions that directly impact their retirement security.”

HB 719 has been referred to the House Public Insurance and Pensions committee and awaits a first hearing.